Objective: make a circuit that uses a microcontroller to display “Hello World” on the computer

Materials: soldering iron, solder, copper plate, end mill, microcontroller, resistor, capacitor, regulator, MolexProcedure 1: Using the small end mill in the Modella CNC router, remove the copper from the copper plate that is not part of the circuit.

Tape the copper plate to the bed of the router using double-sided tape, making sure that the tape overhangs for easy removal later on.

Tape the plate down, 2 squares up and 2 squares over.

Open Cam.py from the desktop or open the terminal directly and type “cam”.

Input “hello.cmp”.

Click “Auto Scale” to see the circuit at a larger scale.

First press “contour”, then “raster interior”. There’s no need for an output file.

Take off “view” mode on the router to allow info from the computer. Activate “view” mode to manaully move the mill.

From a terminal, type “move 1 1” (and X:1 and Y:1) w/ view mode off to orient the mill.

Replace end mill if necessary, with allen wrench found on the machine, leaving ~ 1cm sticking out. Press “down” until the bit cannot go any further. Press “up” for just a second to ensure clearance height. Using your finger to guide the bit, drop it down to the surface of the copper plate.

Press “send to” to begin milling. If something is not right, press “view” on machine to cancel the cut.

Procedure 2: Using the Vinyl cutter, make a flexible circuit board

Get the cam tool (vinyl cutter)

The wheels must always be arranged under the white tabs on the machine.

Use the clamp at rear of machine to raise and lower wheels

Feed a small copper sheet (6”x12”) into the cutter and roughly center it, using the tool’s cutting path as the center line.

Turn the machine’s power on

Select “roll” or “sheet”, it doesn’t really matter

Play w/ the force setting if the cut comes out poorly (usually around 50)